Military Ball
by AuthorChick96
Summary: It's time for the glitz and glam of a military ball, but there's a couple people not happy about it. How do Ed and EJ deal with this little problem and how does it turn out?


**Hi readers! I didn't want you guys to be sitting around forever waiting for me to update, so I decided to post this little oneshot that has been sitting on my computer for months and I didn't finish until tonight. Thanks to all my readers, followers, and reviewers! You guys are amazing! **

**Please Enjoy!**

* * *

It was a dangerous day to be in the Central Command Center. An angry redhead was storming through the halls, practically steaming with anger.

That angry redhead was me: EJ Samuels, but you already know that.

I'd just gotten out of a humiliating meeting with Colonel Roy Mustang, who decided to tell me and the guy I'd been desperately trying _not_ to crush on (but failing miserably), that there was a military ball coming up.

If you're lost, I'm referring to Edward Elric: the Fullmetal Alchemist, hero of the people, and occasional pain in my a*.

I managed to make my way outside and just started walking, hands jammed into my pockets, and thinking back to what Mustang had said earlier.

"_You cannot be serious!" I protested, jumping up from my seat. Ed started choking on his water in an epic spit take. All the while, Mustang sat behind his desk with his hands folded, looking at us calmly._

"_You know by now that I rarely kid about anything, Angel."_

"_Because you have no sense of humor." I retorted, putting my fists on my hips._

"_At any rate, attendance is mandatory for all military personnel, and that includes you two. You might not be official officers, but you are still both State Alchemists." Mustang explained. I let out a defeated sigh; I couldn't argue with him._

_Bas**d. _

I'd stormed out of his office and had wandered my way downtown, where I now sat on the edge of a fountain, thinking. Did I wanna ask Ed to go with me, just to spare us both the embarrassment of having to ask someone? But then I got to wondering if maybe Ed would call Winry and ask her. I guess I could call up—

"Hey, there you are." I jerked my head towards the sound of Ed's voice as he came up behind me. I stood to meet him, brushing the coalesced debris and dirt off of the back of my pants.

"Sorry for running off like that."

"I don't blame you."

"It's just that . . ." I struggled for the right word, and came up with nothing. "I swear he set us up." At Ed's look of confusion, I took him by the arm and led him to an alley off the street so we wouldn't get trampled. "Mustang called both of us into his office to tell us the exact same thing at the exact same time. What does that tell you?"

"Other than we both conveniently happened to be there and he's too lazy to get up off his pompous a* and tell us separately?" Ed replied, his head moving in time with the inflections in his voice. I laughed at his blatant dislike for the colonel. I didn't like him that much either but I'd been raised to respect my superiors, which included my grandfather. Ed on the other hand did as he pleased to a point: he didn't do anything that would've gotten him court-martialed and brought his search to a screeching halt.

"Well, other than that. It just seems weird to me; I feel like Mustang told us both intentionally so we'd . . ." I trailed off as my face turned red. Ed got what I was saying and didn't meet my eyes, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

I loved how smart Ed was, but only sometimes, because the rest of the time he just sounds like an obnoxious know it all.

"So . . . with that being said . . . um, Edward?" I took the plunge; it was now or never. He looked at me with those big golden eyes, and I almost lost my nerve. "Will you be my date to the military ball?"

Ed's eyes got big, and then closed and he waved both hands in front of him in a "no way" gesture.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa; hold on a second. You're asking me . . . on a date?"

"What; a girl can't ask a guy on a date? How sexist are you?" I demanded folding my arms and glaring into the street.

"I'm not sexist! I'm just . . . surprised . . . that you would ask me. I didn't think you liked me that much."

"Oh I like you just fine. You get on my nerves sometimes, but that's not enough reason for me NOT to like you." I explained. That annoying and yet adorable half smile twisted his face.

"To be honest I'm glad you asked me; spares me the embarrassment of having to ask someone." Ed admitted. I gave him a totally serious stare and said: "I thought you would've called Winry."

That made the boy shut his mouth faster than anything I'd ever said to him before in my life.

"What made you bring that up?"

"You and she have been friends since you were kids; it made perfect sense to me that she'd be the first person on your mind to call." I reasoned, stepping out of the alley and into the sunset lit street.

"I-it's not like that between me and her! It's the same kind of relationship I have going on with you!"

"So it's complicated?" I questioned, hiding the pain in my voice that I'd theoretically just been friend-zoned. Ed sighed.

"Very. I swear: girls are harder to understand than alchemy."

I punched him in the arm on that one.

"Ow, geez! What was that for?"

"Be thankful it was me and not Winry." I smirked at him, lost in my own thoughts again as Ed mumbled something while rubbing his sore arm.

Alphonse came up to us, having been looking for his brother the whole time we had been talking. As they walked away, I could see Al teasing Ed about what he and I had been saying to each other. A smile crept its way up my face, and I felt as if I were walking on air for the next several hours.

* * *

Several days later, Edward found himself waiting at the base of the stairs of a ballroom, loosening the tie he'd been forced into. Just because he was a dog of the military didn't mean that they had to stick a choke collar on him. He'd worn his hair in a ponytail instead of a braid this time, and it was an odd feeling of his hair brushing the back of his neck. He'd also been forced into a white shirt and suit jacket, both of which felt foreign to his usual red coat and black jacket. At least his watch was still clipped to his belt; there was that sense of familiarity.

Alphonse nudged him. "Will you stop fiddling with it?" He interjected, referring to his brother's tie. Ed made a face.

"Ugh, black tie. Whenever I wear this something bad happens."

"It's not the outfit Brother; that's just you." Al joked. Ed gave him a withering stare.

"So what do you think EJ's gonna be wearing?" Al wondered, taking in the various fashions some of other women wore. None of them seemed like EJ's style, despite being the most popular designs of the day. Ed was saying something that Al had suddenly stopped listening to, because he'd spotted his brother's date coming down the first flight of stairs behind another couple.

EJ wore a dark blue, one shoulder dress with a pair of black sandals. A line of faux diamonds accented the hem, which was higher on one end, and fell around her knees gracefully. Her long red hair was twisted into a cascade of ringlets, and her eyes seemed bigger and bluer, framed by dark lashes. Her left hand was gripping the banister tightly.

Al put a hand on the top of his brother's head and twisted his line of sight towards the redhead coming down the stairs. Ed immediately stopped talking and focused on the fact that that beautiful girl was with him, and no one else.

"Hey." She said, hands behind her back. Ed could only stare for a minute, mentally scolding himself to get a grip and stop gaping like an idiot at those red lips . . . _snap out of it, you moron!_

"Hi. You look . . ."

"'Gorgeous' is the word you're looking for." Al interrupted, making Ed turn on him with a look of annoyance. EJ blushed.

"I feel so weird though; I'm not used to this." EJ indicated her appearance with a hand. She wore her black bracelet, and her nails matched her dress.

"Evening Fullmetal." Came a familiar drawling voice, and the two teenaged alchemists made twin faces of disgust. Mustang walked right up to EJ and, taking her hand, kissed it. EJ was so stunned that she didn't even try to punch his lights out.

"And who might this lovely vision be? And how did a shrimp like him manage to land a catch like you?"

EJ smirked at Mustang while Al held Ed back.

"Well to tell you the truth Colonel, I asked him." Mustang's eyes got big as he took in EJ's appearance, as if seeing her for the first time. "And where's your lovely lady? Don't tell me you got caught going stag."

Ed snickered behind his hand as the Colonel meandered off with the excuse that he was going to go and find the person he came with. Seeing the way the rest of the officers escorted their dates, he offered EJ his arm and she slipped her hand into it.

"Shall we?"

"We're not getting out of it anyway; we might as well."

* * *

~~EJ~~

Ed must've considered himself lucky that night, because I got asked to dance with pretty much every guy there. I kept up with small talk so it wasn't awkward when I danced with someone I didn't know, but still I felt there was only one person I really wanted to be with. Whenever I could be subtle about it, I would glance over to the windows where Ed stood at the balcony, staring into the distance, and I would just watch the night wind blow through his hair and wish I could be out there with him.

* * *

~~Ed~~

Call him selfish, but Ed felt like one of the luckiest people alive at that point. Within a few seconds of stepping onto the dance floor, EJ had been consistently swept around the room, dancing with someone new almost every song. It gave him a chance to get his nerves under control and actually think about what he was doing. His fingers twitched anxiously on the balcony in front of him; why wasn't he able to think straight?

"There you are. I've been looking for you." EJ was behind Ed now, flushed from exertion and the heat inside.

"Well, I've been here. Enjoying yourself?" He wondered as EJ came to lean against the railing.

"For the most part." She replied. "I'd enjoy it more if the one person I wanna actually dance with was standing out on the balcony like a loner."

Ed let out a small chuckle of well hidden embarrassment as he really looked at the girl before him. There was no denying that EJ was pretty, but it was in the way that she didn't seem to care if people thought she was. Even so, Ed had seen plenty of people almost break their necks just to look at her, especially around Central.

The first time EJ had run into Ed when he and Al had first arrived in Amadeus, Ed had the fleeting thought that this clumsy girl was actually kind of cute, with her blue dress and long red hair twisted up into a clip and she'd been cute until the trip to Dublith and whacking her hair off. EJ had then advanced to being pretty in Ed's mind.

And now, in her dress with her hair and makeup done, she was gorgeous, that was true, but it just wasn't the EJ that Ed was used to. The EJ he knew was a sarcastic, red headed, spitfire brat with an attitude to compliment her tomboyish nature. She'd admitted she'd felt uncomfortable, even in that stupid miniskirt she still carried around.

Something was pressing into Ed's face; he realized that EJ had been jabbing him for the last couple of minutes.

"Is something wrong? You look a little sick to your stomach." EJ noted with concern.

"It's just . . ." Ed wasn't sure what to say to that. Talking to EJ was starting to feel foreign, like he was talking to some stranger. EJ wrapped her fingers around Ed's hand, almost apologetically. Her blue eyes weren't meeting his gold ones.

"Listen, Edward . . ." She started. _Uh-oh,_ Ed thought. If EJ was calling him by his full name, it wasn't good.

"I'm sorry if all of this is making you uncomfortable. I guess I just thought that if you and I went together that it might . . . make it not as embarrassing or awkward than if we were with someone else. You know what I mean?" EJ smiled at him, like an actual smile; there was no hidden pain behind the grin on her face.

"Yeah I get you. For the first time since I've known you; score for me." Ed smirked. EJ smacked him in the chest with the back of her hand and rolled her eyes. The music inside came to a slow finish and the conductor announced that the next song would be the last one of the evening.

EJ held out her hand, which Ed stared at in confusion.

"May I have this dance?" She asked him, and feeling like he didn't have that many options, accepted the girl's hand.

"You should know now that I've never been good at this." Ed admitted, awkwardly placing his right hand on EJ's waist. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment being so close.

"Me neither; don't worry." EJ's own face was flushing, and she kept her eyes on the ground between them. Something glinted in the corner of Ed's eye, and he turned to see Al and the Colonel with their heads together and occasionally glancing over at the two alchemists. Mustang looked like he was trying hard not to laugh; Al gave his brother an encouraging "Go on" gesture. Ed swallowed hard.

"Any idea how to do this?" He wondered. EJ met his eyes for the first time that night; they had that spark in them that threw Ed off when it came to discerning what kind of mood EJ was in.

"A little; just let me lead until you get the hang of it." She said, pulling Ed a little closer. "Just lean back a smidge so it looks like you know what you're doing."

The music started again, a fast paced string number. EJ really did know what she was doing; she led Ed around in a small square formation, occasionally spinning around on Ed's finger.

"Think you got it?" EJ wondered, and Ed could only shrug in response. He wasn't aware of the small circle that had crowded around to watch him and EJ dance.

"I'm still trying to get over the fact that we had to come to this thing." He replied. "You'd think Bradley had enough military show dogs to boast about, especially you."

"It's not just me he's showing off; there's you too."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well let's see: you became a state alchemist when you were twelve, your public nickname is 'Hero of the People', and for the sake of your dignity I'm not gonna even get started on the good looks."

"Oh please."

"Beautiful people never lie, Ed." EJ sent Ed a small wink. Ed only scoffed. "And he's showing me off because I was the infamous 'secret weapon' during the war in Ishval; I think Bradley wants to show the rest of the world that he still owns me and to let them see how much I've grown up since then." EJ's voice turned bitter.

"Yeah now you can take down the enemy with your feminine charms."

"Looks like we're losing the next war." EJ chuckled as the song came to an end. The two alchemists broke contact and walked off the dance floor. Ed hadn't exerted that much energy in a while, not since the fight with Scar, probably. Now that he was resting by the food table, he could see just how many military people were there, as well as the uniforms from foreign countries. Glancing at EJ talking with Hawkeye, Ed could see a couple of those foreign uniforms sending looks in EJ's direction, and none of them looked friendly. More like . . . lustful.

Suddenly feeling defensive, Ed set down his drink and walked over to EJ, gently taking her elbow. She seemed a little startled by the sudden contact.

"Just walk with me for a minute." He whispered, leading his friend away and into the back of the courtyard of the command center.

"Ed, what's the matter?" EJ got her concerned look, but Ed waved her off.

"I don't like the way some of these guys are looking at you." He said, and EJ blinked a couple times before she smiled.

"Are you getting jealous, Mr. Elric?" She raised an eyebrow at him cheekily.

"No, no, it's not that. I'm more concerned about what'll happen if one of these foreign military guys just so happens to get you alone." Ed explained, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"You're sweet to defend my virtue." EJ locked her fingers behind her back and turned away from Ed, making her curls swing over one shoulder. Ed put his hand on the other one to stop EJ's progress.

"I just don't want anything bad to happen to you." He explained as EJ turned back around to look at him.

Unexpectedly, EJ wrapped her arms around Ed's neck in an embrace. She smelled like cherry blossoms and just her plain self, the hint of metal mixed with apples and strawberries.

"Thank you." She whispered, and went to place a chaste kiss on Ed's cheek, but he moved his head at the last minute and their lips met gently. It was barely a second long, but EJ jumped back and placed her fingertips over her mouth.

"I'm sorry, I just—" she stuttered, but Ed just chuckled before pulling playfully on one of her ringlets.

"You're still a spaz."

"Yeah. While we're out here, one last dance?" EJ held her hand out, and this time, Ed knew exactly what he was doing.

* * *

~~Al~~

After seeing Ed and EJ disappear, Al wondered just where those two had gone off. Searching around, he finally found them waltzing in the back courtyard, undisturbed by anyone. Al couldn't help but feel himself smile; he hadn't seen Ed's face brighten like that since that night. Nothing really seemed to make him happy these days, but something about EJ changed that. Whether it was the way she could laugh and joke around with them or the way she could light up a room with her smile, Al couldn't say for sure just yet. All he knew was that slowly but surely, EJ was making them better.

* * *

**I think I might be torturing myself with how close I get to making Ed and EJ a thing. I'm still debating on whether or not i want to make that an actual thing. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed and i will see you next update! Hope everyone has a safe and happy holidays! **

**~~Sady Mordan**


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